South Koreas Lee in Tokyo to spotlight pleasant ties with Japan earlier than key summit with Trump

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung held his first full summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Tokyo in a go to largely aimed toward showcasing pleasant ties between the 2 Asian neighbours that now face frequent challenges from the United States, their mutual ally.

Mr. Lee’s go to Saturday (August 23, 2025) is available in an uncommon order, placing Japan forward of the U.S., to assist him higher put together for his essential first summit in Washington with U.S. President Donald Trump, primarily on commerce and defence points.

His Tokyo go to earlier than Washington is nicely acquired by Japanese officers who see it as an indication Mr. Lee is putting nice significance to relations between the 2 neighbours whose ties have repeatedly been disrupted by historic disputes, hampering their trilateral coordination with Washington.

Noting Mr. Lee’s go to in Tokyo as the primary vacation spot of his international journey after taking workplace in June, Mr. Ishiba welcomed the South Korean President’s arrival on the Prime Minister’s Office and posted pictures on social media platform X.

The two leaders first met in a closed, small group of officers earlier than summit talks with expanded teams.

For Mr. Ishiba, who faces stress from right-wing rivals inside his governing celebration to resign over its July election loss, Mr. Lee’s go to and a profitable summit might shore up his help.

Rintaro Nishimura, an affiliate with The Asia Group’s Japan department, mentioned the timing of Mr. Lee’s go to exhibits “his approach of pragmatic diplomacy” with a spotlight each on bilateral and trilateral relations with the U.S.

“Obviously tariffs play a giant half, however I additionally assume it was a gesture from Lee to point out that Japan is essential in his thoughts as a accomplice in his international coverage,” he mentioned.

For the 2 leaders, who final met solely on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in June, Saturday’s (August 23, 2025) talks are largely symbolic and aimed toward highlighting their friendship and specializing in exchanges as this 12 months additionally marks the sixtieth anniversary of normalizing their diplomatic ties, he mentioned.

Possible outcomes of the assembly embody fast-track entry visas for South Korean travellers and dealing vacation applications.

The two leaders are additionally anticipated to debate mutual considerations together with North Korea’s nuclear and missile growth and China’s rising assertiveness within the area.

Mr. Ishiba, who met Mr. Trump in Washington in February and held talks with him on the June G7 summit, has settled a tariffs deal forward of South Korea, enabling him to coordinate with Lee forward of his summit within the U.S.

The summit comes simply days after the 2 leaders signalled their conciliatory method to one another.

In his August 15 deal with marking the liberation from Japan’s 1910-1945 colonization of the Korean Peninsula, Mr. Lee known as for the 2 sides to beat grievances rooted in Japan’s brutal rule and develop future-oriented ties, although he urged Tokyo to face the problems that stay unresolved and attempt to keep up belief.

In an interview with Japan’s conservative Yomiuri newspaper revealed Thursday, Lee additionally mentioned he’ll persist with previous agreements with the Japanese authorities on the compelled labour points and sexual abuses of the so-called “consolation ladies,” although onerous emotions stay amongst many Koreans.

Mr. Ishiba, who has acknowledged Japan’s wartime aggression and proven empathy towards Asian victims, expressed “regret” over the warfare, which he known as a mistake, restoring the phrase in a Japanese chief’s August 15 give up anniversary deal with for the primary time since its 2013 elimination by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.